Method of and apparatus for controlling the working of material



April 14, 1931. w JESPERSEN 4 1,800,389

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLINGTHE WORKING OF MATERIAL Filed Aug-50, 1928 2 sheets-sheet 1 Mvemor He/ga WJespe/sen April 14, 1931. H. w. JESPERSEN METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE WORKING OF MATERIAL Filed Aug. 30, 19 28. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mme/flow He/yo W Jaye/sen W Affy Patented Apr. 14, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HELGO WIGGO JESPERSEN, OF WESTERN SPRINGS, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE WORKING OF MATERIAL Application filed August 30, 1928. Serial No. 303,006.

This invention relates to a method of and ap aratus for controlling the working of material, and more particularly the working of material having the ability or disposition to flow.

In the preparation of paper pulp for manufacture of fibrous insulation to be deposited directly upon wire, it is desirable to secure a certain uniformity of electrical and physical characteristics in the pulp before covering the wire therewith. This preparation is customarily effected by. beating a mixture of water and paper pulp, known as stuff, in a refining engine called a Jordan. Continued beating of the stuff in the Jordan produces hydration, a quality which determines to a large extent the texture of the paper insulation and hence its electrical and physical characteristics. The condition. or degree of hydration of the pulp after treatment is measured by a test for freeness, usual- 1y consisting in ascertaining the length of time required to drain dry a column of pulp of a standard height. Hydration is increased in the structure of the fibres constituting the pulp mass in direct proportion with the amount of beating the mass receives in the Jordan.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of and apparatus for insuring a predetermined amount of working of material.

In accordance with the features of the invention, an angle valve having a plurality of orifices of different sizes is placed in the outlet of the refining engine. It is important that the pulp be maintained in a constantly agitated mass at the outlet, thus minimizing the chance of the flow control mechanism becoming clogged. By means of such mechanism, the flow of pulp from the refinin engine may be regulated to retain the Fu p in the'refining englne until an desired reene-ss or slowness is produced. n this way, pulp havin the desired characteristics can be automatically obtained. In order to clean the orifices, should they become clogged, as well as to clean the Jordan itself, a water line is connected to the valve device.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following description and the accompanying drawing, illustrating an apparatus embodying features of the invention and which may be used in producing the method, in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a refining engine, with the flow control apparatus in position, and with part of the engine casing broken away to show the knives;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof with part of the end plate broken away to show the knives;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the flow control valve in positlon, and

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

In order to make clear the steps of the method and apparatus with which it may be practiced, the latter will be described first and more complete details of the method referred to thereafter.

A conventional type of refining machine denoted by the numeral 10, commonly known as a Jordan, is supported on and secured to a base 11 by the supports 12'12. Supporting members 1313 sustain at the points shown a shaft 14 which is j ournaled in bearings 15, fitted to run in machined ways 16-16. The shell 17 of the refinin engine contains a conical plug 18 on w ich are mounted laterally extending knives 19, the plug being mounted on and revolving with a the shaft 14. A supply conduit 20 connected with a reservoir not shown, feeds the stuff tobe worked into the shell of the refining machine. At the farther end of the refiner is an outlet 21 made in an end plate 22 to which is fitted a flow control mechanism generally denoted 23. The flow control mechanism comprises, in its preferred form, a regulator 24 consisting of a handle 25 and a pointer 26, the regulator being shaped, as illustrated, so as to cause it to travel over an indicator plate 27 which is to be more specifically described hereafter. The regulator 24 is connected to the upper part of a valve plug 28 by means of a nut 29 and washer 30. To the left of the flow control mechanism is a water supply pipe 31, operated by a valve 32 and. so disposed as to, upon operation of the valve 32, direct a stream of water through the flow control mechanism as a flushing means. Connectedat the bottom of the flow control mechanism is an outlet conduit 33 for carrying ofi' the pulp after it has been sufliciently worked by the refiner and made ready for the paper making machine, not shown.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, the Valve plug 28 at the lower portion thereof is apertured horizontally on a line with a lower terminus 34 of the water supply line 31 and a passage 35 through the end plate, with numerous orifices which may be of any desired number, indicated on drawing as 36, 37 and 38. These orifices are so located in the lower portion of the valve plug 28 as to be each respectively locateddirectly undera corresponding graduation 39, 40 and 41 on the upper surface of the indicator plate 27. The end plate of the refiner is united to the shell at the interlocking rim 42 by bolts 43 and nuts 44.

From the foregoing, it may be seen that the stud entering the refining engine through inlet conduit 20 under pressure developed by any desired head, not shown, is worked in the interior of the refining engine by rapid revolution of the plu 18, and proper treatment is secured by whirling the stuff between the knives 19, and rooves not shown, formed in the internal ining of the shell of therefining engine. Due to the conical shape of the plug and shell and the comparatively rapid revolution of the plug by the shaft 14: from a suitable source of power not shown, the material, while in the Jordan, has a tendency due to centrifugal motion to be constantly throwntowards the larger end of the shell. By means of the flow control mechanism it is possible to retain the pulp with-'- in the refiner for a predetermined length of time to insure proper treatment, and the necessity of taking samples from the refiner and draining to see if a suitable state of freene'ss has been reached is obviated. The stufi' is retained within the refiner until by continued treatment it has reached a freeness predetermined by the operator at the time of his selection of an orifice for its passage, in accordance with the graduations 39, l0 and 41, each of which respectively indicates an orifice in the valve plug. The graduations on the indicator plate 27 may express any convenient system of symbols fitted to the characteristics of the particular material under treatment. In the case of pulp under refinement in a Jordan, the graduation 39 on the indicator may bear a symbol designating that the stufi', which will flow through the orifice 36, brought into use by causing the pointer 26 of the regulator to indicate graduation 39, will be of a specific desired freeness. By mounting the flow control mechanism directly on the end plate of the refining engine without intervening pipage, it is apparent that the pulp in the passage 35 immediately adjacent to the orifice selected for its release will be kept, by the rotating plug 18 and blades 19, in a constantly agitated state. This combined with the fact that there will always be a certain pressure derived from the head of the supply conduit, and that so long as the machine will be in operation there will be a pronounced impelling force through the passage 35 caused by centrifugal force produced by the revolution ofthe conical plug within the casing 17, will efiectually prevent clogging, which is a tendency characteristic of such materials when attempts are made to pipe it, due to its shredded composition and inert character.

By the method embodying the features of this invention, substantially uniform results may be obtained in the regulation of the amount of treatment a material in the J ordan is to receive, since the rate of flow of pulp under identical conditions is constant, as is likewise the impeding efiect upon its flow by an orifice of a given diameter.

In the case of a comparatively slowly flowing pulp mixture with which Jordan refining engines are usually concerned, the tendency to clog is increased when an attempt to restrict the flow of the pulp is made. Comparatively small-diameter orifices are used in the present device, consequently, it is necessary for the securing of the most desirable results that the pulp be constantly agitated at the point where it enters the orifice. Since danger of clogging is practically obviated by agitating the pulp adjacent to the orifice and since the rate of flow of a material of the desired consistency is known, it may be readily seen that by causing the material to flow through an orifice designed to accommodate material at only a certain rate of flow, the material is retained within the refining engine until it has attained the desired predetermined characteristics or degree of freeness. In the case of materials of exceptionally low flowing ability, it is necessary, in addition to agitating the material ad acent to the orifice, to impart such a motlon to it as will assist its flow through the orifice without clogging, as explained above.

The invention is not to be limited to the particular embodiment of the invention wh ch has been described, but is only to be limited by the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. flow control mechanism including in combination with a refining engine, a valve, means for varying the capacity of the valve,

an indicating means graduated in accordance with a correlation of the speed of flow of a speclfied consistency of the material and an opening in the valve, and an outlet conduit.

2. A flow control mechanism including in adapted to permit flow therethrough of material having a specified characteristic.

3. A flow control mechanism including a valve having a pluralit of orifices, an indicator means graduated to correspond with the orifices, a regulator associated with the indicator, and means for flushing the mechanism.

4. A flow control mechanism including a valve having an orifice, an indicator associated therewith, a regulator associated with the indicator, a Water suppl line connected to the valve for cleaning the valve, and a second valve for controlling the operation of the supply line.

5. In an apparatus for controlling the working of material, a flow control mechanism including in combination a valve plug having an orifice, an indicator associated therewith, a regulator associated with the indicator, and means for impelling the material through the orifice.

6. A flow control mechanism including in combination an outlet conduit, a valve, an indicator graduated in accordance with the length of time necessary to produce a pulp of a specified freeness and the capacity of the valve, a regulator for varying the capacity of the valve, and rotary means for producing flow through the valve.

7. In an apparatus for controlling the workingof pulpy material, a flow control mechanism comprising a valve having a plurality of orifices, an indicating means graduated to correspond with each orifice, and an associated regulator for setting the valve to admit pulpy material of a specified freeness.

8. In an apparatus for controlling the working of material, aflow control mechanism comprising a valve having a plurality of orifices in the lower portion, the orifices graduated in size to permit passage of pulpy material of a specified characteristic, an indicating means graduated to correspond with the orifices, and a regulator secured to the plug at the upper portion to travel over the indicating means and to present an orifice to receive pulp of a specified character- 'istic.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 17th day of August, A. D.

HELGO WIGGO JESPERSEN. 

